Daniel Pipes: Why Politicians Pretend Islam Has No Role in Violence

The Middle East Forum

"Prominent non-Muslim political figures have embarrassed themselves by denying the self-evident connection of Islam to the Islamic State (ISIS) and to Islamist violence in Paris and Copenhagen, even claiming these are contrary to Islam. What do they hope to achieve through these falsehoods and what is their significance?

"First, a sampling of the double talk:" . . .  Read the full article.

According to non-Muslim politicians these Taliban 
members have nothing to do with Islam.

Ironically, ignoring the Islamic impulse means foregoing the best tool to defeat jihadism: for, if the problem results not from an interpretation of Islam, but from random evil and irrational impulses, how can one possibly counter it? Only acknowledging the legacy of Islamic imperialism opens ways to re-interpret the faith's scriptures in modern, moderate, and good-neighborly ways.

President Obama embarrassed for Republicans over Iran Letter

comicallyincorrect.com

SENATOR OBAMA’S 2008 MESSAGE TO IRAN UNDERMINES CONDEMNATION OF GOP LETTER    . . . "Livid over the GOP letter, Biden proclaimed: “In thirty-six years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which Senators wrote directly to advise another country.' ” . . .

Biden threatens to chase the Republicans to the very gates of Hell.  But I digress...

"According to Pajamas Media columnist Michael Ledeen, in 2008, a Democratic senator sent a personal emissary to Tehran encouraging the mullahs not to sign an agreement with the outgoing Bush Administration as negotiations would take on a much friendlier tone following President Bush’s departure from office.

"That senator was a presidential candidate at the time. His name was Barack Obama."

Obama Sent Ambassador To Tehran To Negotiate During 2008 Campaign
"On the program (embedded above) Leeden revisits his disclosure of the trip taken by Ambassador William G. Miller to Tehran in 2008 on Obama’s behalf to assure the mullahs he was a friend of the terrorist-supporting regime. Understanding the Miller trip is important because it gives an insight into Obama's world view not reflected by the mainstream media. As he explained in the PJMedia column he wrote on the subject:" 

2008 Candidate Senator Obama Sent U.S. Secret Emissary To Iran Telling Them Not To Negotiate With George Bush – Said Wait For Him To Be Elected….

Does this all remind you of another incident?

Are we not all embarrassed for America under this president?

Alan Caruba asks, "Is John Kerry a Moron?"

Warning Signs

"I can recall John Kerry, Obama’s Secretary of State, from the days he testified to a congressional committee and slandered his fellow soldiers as the spokesman for Veterans Against the Vietnam War in 1971. I was appalled then and my opinion of the man has not changed since those days. I opposed the war, too, but I did not blame it on the men who were conscripted to fight it, nor did I believe the charges he leveled against some of them.

"These days Kerry is engaged in securing an agreement with the Iranians, if not to stop their program to make their own nuclear weapons than to slow it to a later date. Never mind that the Iranian government is listed by our own government as a leading sponsor of terrorism worldwide or that they have signed such agreements in the past and then tossed out the inspectors. "

. . . 

"On March 2^nd, Kerry addressed the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C, telling them what he has been saying in many forums. Let us understand that “climate change” is the name being used to replace “global warming”, because the Earth has been in a cooling cycle for the past 18 years or so. And let us understand that “climate change” has been happening for 4.5 billion years. "

Missouri Lt Governor: Holder Incited Mob Many Times

Breitbart TV  (Video) "When asked if he had spoken to Mr. Holder directly, Kinder said, “No, no, no, he doesn’t bend to speak with people like me. He comes into town and meets with one side. He met with the family of Michael Brown, and that’s fine that he met with them. But, he did not meet with the family of officer Darren Wilson or with his brother and sister officers to say I’m backing you up. ' ”

This bumper sticker didn’t buy into the media lie.

Iran and Hizballah DROPPED from US Terror List - OBAMA INSANE

Infidel Bloggers Alliance    "US intel report scrapped Iran from list of terror threats

"SOFTENED ASSESSMENT, SUBMITTED IN FEBRUARY, COMES AMID MARATHON NUCLEAR TALKS, SHARED INTERESTS VIS-A-VIS THE ISLAMIC STATE

"An annual report delivered recently to the US Senate by James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, removed Iran and Hezbollah from its list of terrorism threats, after years in which they featured in similar reports
The unclassified version of the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Communities, dated February 26, 2015 (PDF), noted Iran’s efforts to combat Sunni extremists, including those of the ultra-radical Islamic State group, who were perceived to constitute the preeminent terrorist threat to American interests worldwide."

Inflection point: Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the Benghazi investigating committee, concedes that there is reason for the continuing inquiry.

Althouse  "On "Face the Nation" this morning, at the very end of the interview, Bob Schieffer asked: "Well, are you satisfied that there's anything else to find out about Benghazi?"

"Cummings said: "I don't know. We have been at this now, Bob, since May. And I still don't know the scope of what we're looking for. I think there have been eight investigations. They have been done extremely well. And they — I think they have resolved most of the questions."

"He could have said — like many Democratic Party partisans — that the matter has been thoroughly investigated and it's nothing more than partisan politics now. But he said "I don't know." Twice. And then he said "they have resolved most of the questions." Most. Most means not all. So clearly there are questions left."

Restaurants in Seattle Going Dark as $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Looms. UPDATE with a counterpoint

Rick Moran  "I like this simple, elegant explanation from Reason’s Ronald Bailey about the value of labor and the minimum wage:" . . .

Seattle’s $15 minimum wage law goes into effect on April 1, 2015. As that date approaches, restaurants across the city are making the financial decision to close shop. The Washington Policy Center writes that “closings have occurred across the city, from Grub in the upscale Queen Anne Hill neighborhood, to Little Uncle in gritty Pioneer Square, to the Boat Street Cafe on Western Avenue near the waterfront.”

Of course, restaurants close for a variety of reasons. But, according to Seattle Magazine, the “impending minimum wage hike to $15 per hour” is playing a “major factor.” That’s not surprising, considering “about 36% of restaurant earnings go to paying labor costs.” Seattle Magazine,

“Washington Restaurant Association’s Anthony Anton puts it this way: “It’s not a political problem; it’s a math problem.”

“He estimates that a common budget breakdown among sustaining Seattle restaurants so far has been the following: 36 percent of funds are devoted to labor, 30 percent to food costs and 30 percent go to everything else (all other operational costs). The remaining 4 percent has been the profit margin, and as a result, in a $700,000 restaurant, he estimates that the average restauranteur in Seattle has been making $28,000 a year.

“With the minimum wage spike, however, he says that if restaurant owners made no changes, the labor cost in quick service restaurants would rise to 42 percent and in full service restaurants to 47 percent.”

 . . . "That means a net loss in jobs and economic activity. But for the rich voters in King County, that hardly matters. It’s so “progressive” to pay someone a wage unrelated to the value of their work. Too bad those who can least afford to be a casualty of this progressive experiment will suffer the most."

UPDATE: No, the minimum wage isn't forcing these Seattle restaurants to close

. . . "That doesn't mean that the minimum wage increase won't make the Seattle restaurant business harder. But so far it doesn't seem to have made a dent in diners' choices."

'Yes, He Is A Demonstrator': Police Announce Arrest Of Ferguson Cop Shooting Suspect

Truth Revolt

"The suspect has claimed to police that he was shooting at someone else and not at the police officers. The police are not yet able to confirm or disprove that claim. The weapon was a handgun." 

Get Set For “Hands Up #2″: Protesters Claim That #Ferguson Cop Shooting Suspect Jeffrey Williams Was Beaten By Police

. . . "Based on hearsay “Robinson said, this is what he said”, without the police side to rebut.

"Interestingly, according to Keith Rose, a Ferguson activist, what Robinson actually said was Williams said he was not a “regular” protester, not that he never had been.

"Sounds like an effort is underway on the one hand to disavow him as a protester, but on the other hand put out disinformation to make him the new cause."

Holder: Ferguson arrest sends 'clear message' against violence  "Williams has told police and prosecutors he was firing at someone other than the officers, but authorities say they are investigating that claim."

Sheriff David Clarke Disgusted With Obama And Holder After Mo. Police Shooting

But what we expect — and it’s all we expect, Megyn — is we expect that responsible people in this country back us in these situations. When we’re wrong, we’re wrong. But when we’re right, I expect them to come out in very strong language, indicate that and give us some sense that at least they have our backs in these situations and they’re not looking to indict based on emotional mob rhetoric or bring criminal charges or even slam our reputations.

"Kelly noted that although Officer Darren Wilson was exonerated of all charges by the Department of Justice, President Obama was not forceful in acknowledging that verdict."

Cop Shooter Jeffrey Williams Is Friends With Mike Brown’s Buddy Dorian Johnson

"Williams told police he fired the shots.
St. Louis officials say Williams was a regular Ferguson protester.

"Jeffrey Williams and Mike Brown’s buddy Dorian Johnson are friends on Facebook."

Suspect Arrested in Ferguson Shooting, Claims He Wasn’t Aiming at Officers
. . . "But Williams reportedly told investigators he didn’t mean to target the line of police standing on the sidewalk Wednesday night, facing down protesters on the opposing sidewalk. Williams is claiming that he intended to shoot his .40-caliber handgun at someone with whom he had a disagreement, but hit the police instead." . . .

Ferguson Police: Public info led to arrest of man in shootings of two officers

"Authorities offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of person or persons responsible for the gunfire upon the two officers, according to the St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers website.

"McCulloch said the tipster whose information led to Williams' arrest is eligible to receive the reward. He declined to provide any information on the tipster or the nature of the tip."

Famous Hollywood actor warns Israel about Obama

Examiner.com

. . . "Relations between Israel and the U.S. have been on the down-slide ever since President Obama took office in 2009. While Israel and the U.S. have disagreed on some occasions over the years, never has a president, like President Obama, ignored a Prime Minister from Israel or the issues the State of Israel faces on a daily basis by Islamic terrorist groups.

"In a recent speech in front of Congress on March 4, 2015, Netanya proposed a “practical alternative” to the planned Obama led deal with Iran on Tehran's nuclear program. The speech was presented to the U.S. House in which is now dominated by Republicans, but President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden refused to attend and 

"Obama called Netanya's proposal as nothing more than theater. More than a 100 of Obama Democrats in the House and the Senate had also stated that they would not attend the speech, ignoring the threat Iran poses to Israel. Iran has stated several times in the past that it’s wishes is to wipe the State of Israel off the map, something Democrats ignore as well most of the main-stream liberal media." . . .

Don't mess with Jon Voight:

Hat tip to Christopher Collins at Guardian Eagles

The Progressive Practice of Rewriting History on Campus

Campus Insurrection  "Sometimes, students decide they don’t like a person that a campus building is named after and they make an effort to change it.

"As Bernie Reeves of National Review points out, their choices are rather selective.

Campus Activists Airbrushing History

Colleges and universities across the country are victims of revenge politics, usually instigated by white left-wing activists waging war against dead white males supposedly on behalf of blacks. Across the South, their tactics include pressuring schools to erase the name of well-known former leaders from campus buildings. The heroes of the past are now judged as racist based on today’s politically correct, revisionist opinions.
The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel region of North Carolina – called the Research Triangle – is home to three nationally prominent universities. Only North Carolina State University in Raleigh has retained its traditional credibility, at least in comparison to nearby UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University in Durham.
UNC has a long tradition of progressive/liberal attitudes, while Duke was a national leader in radical campus politics in the 1980s. Duke rid itself of Stanley Fish, the Typhoid Mary of revisionist and multicultural doctrines, in the 1980s. Sadly, UNC has continued in its deconstructive path. The formerly venerated public university is now imploding as a result of the spread of radicalism from the professoriate to the administration.
Naturally, both UNC and Duke are in the thick of the revisionist history fad. Carolina’s Saunders Hall is named for a state leader of great accomplishment who, influenced by the post-Civil War era he lived in, was a founder of the Ku Klux Klan. Duke has already rubbed out the name of Charles B Aycock, known in North Carolina as the “education governor” for his dedication to providing schooling to all citizens – albeit in the atmosphere of “separate but equal”."

 Read the original article:
Campus Activists Airbrushing History (National Review)

2008 Candidate Senator Obama Sent U.S. Secret Emissary To Iran Telling Them Not To Negotiate With George Bush – Said Wait For Him To Be Elected….

The Last Refuge  "From a radio interview in October of 2014 Mark Levin discusses with Michael Leeden the details of a secret message sent by candidate Senator Barack Obama to Iran in 2008 via a former Ambassador, William G Miller.

"In essence the content of the communique was Senator Obama telling the Iranian government not to negotiate with the outgoing George Bush administration because Obama was more friendly toward the position of Iran and he would work to structure a more favorable outcome to the Iranian people." . . .

"It is a remarkable revelation given the level of apoplectic response recently from the White House and State Dept. to a rather innocuous “open letter” from 47 Senators.

"President Obama, Joe Biden and John Kerry shouting about how wrong it is for the Senate to publish their opinion, yet it is now clear that Senator Obama not only communicated with the Iranian government in secret, but he did so specifically to undermine President George W. Bush during prior Iranian negotiations." . . .

Michael Ledeen writes on this in 2014:  Obama’s Latest Big Lie: ‘We Have No Strategy’   "They do have a strategy, but they prefer to appear indecisive. That’s because the strategy would likely provoke even greater criticism than the false confession of endless dithering.

"The actual strategy is detente first, and then a full alliance with Iran throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It has been on display since before the beginning of the Obama administration. During his first presidential campaign in 2008, Mr. Obama used a secret back channel to Tehran to assure the mullahs that he was a friend of the Islamic Republic, and that they would be very happy with his policies. The secret channel was Ambassador William G. Miller, who served in Iran during the shah’s rule, as chief of staff for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as ambassador to Ukraine. Ambassador Miller has confirmed to me his conversations with Iranian leaders during the 2008 campaign.

. . .

NY Post: Valerie Jarrett Leaked Hillary’s Private Email Use to Press

Big Government

"Vengeful Obama confidante Valeria Jarrett went through back channels to leak Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to the press, an explosive new report reveals.

"The New York Post‘s Edward Klein reports that a source familiar with Bill Clinton said that the former president told him: “The Obamas are out to get us any way they can.”

"Jarrett blamed the Democratic party’s 2014 midterm losses on the Clintons’ insinuations that Obama’s unpopular policies, including executive amnesty for foreigners gobbling up American jobs, made the president an “albatross” around the reigning party’s neck.

"Jarrett, Obama, and Obama’s wife greeted Hillary as a triumvirate of black liberals at the White House after Democrats got thrashed at the voting booth. Under the watchful eyes of his wife and closest senior advisor, Obama told Hillary, the former first lady of Arkansas, in no uncertain terms he would remain “neutral” in the 2016 election — signaling he wouldnot, in fact, support the Clinton candidacy that the media call “inevitable.” . . .